GALLAGHER'S WORD

Every year on this day, we tell everyone what we're thankful for. About 99% of us say we're thankful for the family and friends who are in our lives (for better or worse). It's been a great week to be a fan of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. After last Saturday's BCS shake up, there are some people Notre Dame fans should be thankful for on this Thanksgiving.Be thankful for Stanford and Baylor. Without those two schools pulling upsets of the previous No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country, it would be a nerve racking final two weeks of the college football season. The Irish control their own destiny now. Then again, they play USC. Nothing's guaranteed. Be thankful for ESPN's Rick Reilly. Back in August, Reilly wrote a column that claimed Notre Dame was irrelevant. Irish fans can be thankful that they can use Reilly as a punching bag, knowing now that he was wrong and that what he wrote in his column was irrelevant. Be thankful for Manti Te'o. The senior linebacker could have gone to the NFL, but decided to stay. A Heisman front-runner, Te'o has been the best one of the best players in college football. The death of his grandmother and girlfriend, who both passed away within six hour of each other, was a challenge that Manti overcame. He played one of the best games of his career against Michigan on the same day as his girlfriend's funeral. He is the all-around player Notre Dame looks for when they recruit. There may never be another player like him in South Bend. Be thankful for Tommy Rees. Yes, Tommy Rees. Everett Golson has played well as a redshirt freshman. But there were times early on in the year when Rees came to the rescue. Most importantly, the final drive that set up a game-winning field goal against Purdue in week 2. Golson is better than Rees in most aspects of the position, but be thankful the Irish have a backup with game experience. Be thankful for defense. How long has it been since Notre Dame has had a defense like this? The Irish only giving up an average of 10.1 points per game and have not given up an offensive touchdown in seven games this season. Without this defense, the Irish might be a 7-4 team right now.

There are other things to be thankful for during this season of Notre Dame football. Enjoy your day today, and get ready for what should be an always interesting game against USC.